A Mind for Business: A Conversation with Lori Gordon: Manager of Business Development, CBIZ MHM, LLC

When on a conference call with some Philadelphia-based Citibank colleagues and mentioned that I was born and raised in South Philly. Within minutes, one of my colleagues, Vittoria Zaslavsky, sent an e-mail saying that she also was from South Philly—and I realized we grew up within blocks of each other. And, seconds after the call ended, we were back on the phone swapping stories about the old neighborhood and discussing who made the best cannoli. A few short weeks later, I was heading down to Philly for lunch with Vicki, as she is called, and her circle of enterprising women.

One of the amazing women I met that day was Lori Gordon, Manager of Business Development, CBIZ MHM, LLC, which is a professional services company that provides business services, products, and solutions to help clients grow and succeed. The daughter of two scientists, Lori started to follow in her parent’s footsteps only to discover that science just didn’t “sing” to her—there were no sparks. She knew something was missing. So, college-age Lori did what some might consider the unthinkable: she took some time off, went to work in a bank and then earned a degree in business. Over the course of her 20-year career (which I find hard to believe as she looks 21!), Lori has “dabbled” in many aspects of professional service business models: operational management, strategic planning, client relationship management, and sales. She’s also the proud mom of two boys, whom she is raising in the Bucks County area with her husband.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Lori recently about her enterprising journey, and here are the highlights from our conversation.

On traits critical for success in today’s workplace…

To Lori, success has a lot to do with attitude. “Successful leaders are those with the innate ability to remain positive and to assume positive intent,” she explained, adding, “Leaders also need to be able to articulate the end-result. It’s not just about being goal-driven, but also being able to break-down goals into concrete steps.” Lori also is a fan of documentation. “Whenever you engage in negotiation, whether formal or informal, documenting what you’ve agreed to, even if just in an e-mail, can help ensure that both parties have an apples-to-apples understanding of how things were resolved. It can go a long way in avoiding disagreements down the line.”

On the best piece of advice she’s ever received…

Lori recalls something that one of her mentors once shared: “When you stress over something, define, deliver and everything else will follow.” Lori added, “I can’t tell you how often I’ve come back to this, not just in dealing with issues in my professional life, but also in personal situations as well.”

On what lesson(s) she would share with an aspiring entrepreneur…

“Think carefully and deliberately,” Lori advises, “on how prepared you are to be vulnerable.” Very profound. In Lori’s experience, newbie entrepreneurs often overlook the speed at which one must operate to get a business established and on solid financial ground. She added, “If you can be vulnerable and admit what you don’t know, then you can truly engage others and leverage their knowledge and experience to propel you forward. In my career, this has helped me connect with others more deeply and to forge stronger relationships.”

Think carefully and deliberately on how prepared you are to be vulnerable.

On one word she associates with money...

Two words leaped into Lori’s mind when I asked this question: freedom and independence. Like many others I spoke with, Lori doesn’t view money as an end unto itself, but as a means to create benefits for her family, for others and for herself.

On her financial role model(s)...

Lori learned the value of money in part from her parents and from good old trial-and-error. “Both my parents were academics, in the field of basic research,” she shared, “While they made a comfortable living, we never knew that we might be going without certain things…we lived a modest lifestyle and my parents were frugal. I will tell you that today they are enjoying quite a nice retirement.”

She continued, “Although my parents showed great financial discipline, I really didn’t have much ‘training,’ if you will, with handling money. My parents bought what was needed, and neither my sister nor I had a job as kids. With the little money that we got our hands on, I remember my tendency was to spend it all on junk, while my sister was more of a saver, putting what she had aside for some ‘big thing.’ “

On financial harmony in a relationship…

Lori and her husband are living proof that having different financial “inclinations” doesn’t have to mean relationship – or financial – disaster. “When we met, my husband and I weren’t naturally aligned, financially,” Lori shared, “He was a natural saver and, as I said, I tended to be more of a spender. He’s had a positive influence on my financial thinking. And, before we got married, we got in sync. We pooled our money and set common goals, from what kind of car to buy to how we would live to how much we would save for retirement.”

While Lori’s husband is their family money manager, they both make the big decisions and contribute pretty evenly to their household coffers. “Financial harmony starts and ends with shared values, common goals, and open, honest communications,” Lori noted, adding, “Early on, we decided that the best way for us to manage financial stress in our relationship was to live within our means and prioritize what we spend on. To this day, we focus on our home, our children’s education, and having fun experiences with family and friends. At some point, we want to do more travel, but it’s not a priority today.”

On raising financially savvy children…

A priority for Lori has been giving her two sons hands-on experience earning and managing money. She and her husband do give an allowance, which is contingent upon their sons completing certain household chores. Both sons also started with paid jobs when they became teenagers. Thinking back to her own childhood, Lori introduced a three-part money management model to help her sons develop good financial habits: one-third of their money is theirs to spend for fun; one third is set aside towards college; and one-third goes to charity.

Lori is the first to acknowledge that family conversations about money aren’t always stress-free. She explained, “Many children in my sons’ peer groups receive every latest “thing” and it is not uncommon for them to use the cost of something for bragging rights. This has blurred, in my view, the line between what’s a ‘necessity’ versus a ‘nice-to-have.’ And, my kids are frequently disappointed with us because we don’t just give in to the latest ‘necessity,’ but rather expect them to work for it or accept a “gently used” version instead of a new one. They don’t appreciate the lesson we’re teaching now, but I expect that they will change their tune when they are parents—or so I hope!”

On words she lives by…

“Assume positive intent” is Lori’s motto.

On how she recharges…

Lori recharges through entertaining family and friends, reading and simply being still to enjoy the present.

On her guilty pleasure…

“Wine and chocolate,” Lori said without hesitation. Another woman after my own heart!